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I’ve had a number of articles published lately, but none have gained the traction that this one has (it quickly became a “featured article” in Elephant Journal). I believe that’s because the topic is exceptionally relevant. It’s time for men to hear how much they – and their happiness – matter.

photo by Lesly B. Juarez via Elephant Journal

I had a heart-to-heart with my 12-year-old son yesterday.

And believe me when I say that it was a coup d’état. He’s not the emotional type. He’s very strategic, extremely focused, and remarkably driven. He doesn’t wallow, and frankly, doesn’t have patience for kids who do.

But he’s also human—and I could tell that things were brewing. And because I am deeply committed to raising my two sons with a full bandwidth of emotional intelligence, I gently, without prodding, asked him some questions.

And believe it or not, he responded.

He talked, I listened. I didn’t push back, I didn’t point out the things most parents would point out. I just held a safe space for him to be real, without judgment. He talked about what’s been tough for him with his buddies, on the sports field, at home.

He opened up about which kids were doing what, although never in a way that betrayed them (which, I have to admit, made me super proud of who he is). He told me how the bad times seem to last in his memory, while the good times quickly fade away.

It was one of my favorite moments of the year thus far. Not only did I get to see the deeper layers of what’s going on behind his beautiful eyes, I also paved the way for more of these moments.

Just as importantly, it reassured me that I’m helping him become a man who can communicate his emotions (read more…)

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It’s obviously really cool to announce my Amazon Best-Selling book, The Power of Practice…“The Power of Practice is for those who are ready to become unstoppable, to own their power, and to go on a transformational journey of self-discovery. Julianna Ricci provides step-by-step tools to shift your energy – out of stuck, old patterns that have been holding you back – and into the realm of infinite possibilities.”

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I spent a number of days last week wrestling with some uncomfortable growing pains.

At first I was blaming these pains on things in my physical world…my puppy is once again acting up; my book is in the exciting, but intense final stages before publication; we’re renovating our kitchen; my husband is in Africa for a couple Keep Reading…>>

Regardless – this is not about the speed of my dog’s movement, but rather the speed of my movement.

As I stood in my kitchen seething with a quiet rage (at being duped, at having to take the time to go find him, and having ever-more stuff on my plate), I realized this was one of those times where I could choose to walk my talk (as an Energy Mastery Coach), or I could inadvertently let my emotions take charge of me.

I had an “ah-ha!” moment with my coach last week (yes, even I have a coach…and I’m way better for it!) that my definition of SUCCESS didn’t add up to my definition of success. It sounds convoluted, and it is, which is perhaps why I hadn’t even noticed it before.

Here’s what happened:

Photo – Courtesy Gratisography

I have a business that I LOVE!

But…. I’m not yet serving as many people as I know I’m meant to serve. And I don’t yet have the income that I know I’m meant to have.

And I just now realized (yes, just now) that because of these things, I often feel more like a failure than a SUCCESS.

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Our boss “should” praise us; our partner “should” compliment us; our kids “should” thank us. But how often do any of these things happen? If we keep waiting around for them, we begin to feel very, very empty.

I’m going to propose something radical here: I going to suggest that it’s time we all begin filling ourselves, rather than expecting others to do it for us.

Photo courtesy: Creative Commons

I wonder how many of you had some resistance flare up just now?

“I don’t have time to say ‘yes’ to me! Whoever heard of such a preposterous idea! I would never be that selfish!”

I can almost see a grandmother – or a Puritan!– poo-pooing the concept. You likely have the same voices in your head, saying that exact sort of thing. Keep Reading…>>

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5 steps to help you not freak out

I just got a puppy. For the first time. Ever. And he’s 100% adorable and sweet (as you can see).

But holy smokes he is triggering me!

I know, how is that possible with a face as cute as this?

See, I didn’t actually want a new baby. (I know, a puppy isn’t a baby. But you’ve got to admit there are some similarities from the whole “totally dependent and time-consuming” angle.)

I’d had some pretty intense post-partum depression after my first baby. So there’s the trigger right there – this lack-of-freedom, and being-at-someone’s-beck-and-call is all too familiar. In a not-so-fun-way. Keep Reading…>>

I feel like I want to be slacking, but I that should be charging forward instead.

Something inside me is wanting to be fallow – you know, to rejuvenate and all – but another part of me is acutely aware of the danger of losing momentum.

And the whole thing has got me to thinking about when to Push versus when to Allow.

This topic is not new. Not to me personally, and certainly not to my clients.

Here’s how I most often encounter it for myself:

I really don’t feel like doing the dishes right now – but that’s okay, because I’ll have the motivation to do them at some point in the next 3-6 hours.

And I do. So it’s all good – this is a system that works for me. And for my family.

Along these same lines, if I don’t feel like doing the laundry, I know I’ll get to it within a day or two. Writing thank-you cards? A few days. Writing my next blog post? Um….

This is what I’ve been facing the past few weeks.

Yes, weeks.

Plural.

I just plain wasn’t feeling it. I was all Christmas and New Years and travel and family and eggnog. Nowhere in this milieu was there an energetic connection to sitting at the computer. Or reaching out to people who, by my estimates, were similarly in their own little tinsel and eggnog bubbles.